Tone-arm for talking-machines and the like.



0.1. CLAIR.

TONE ARM FOR TALKING MACHINES AND THE LIKE. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 31. 1915.

Patented. July 11, 1916.

IWVEWTOW Oscar (KC/7a]??- 3 WITNESSES 4 31 TTOWMAEVS ocean .i. CLAIR, or caivrnnn', new JERSEY, assrouon TO vro'ron TALKING. MACHINE COMPANY, a oonrona'rion or new JERSEY.

ron'n arnvr FOR TALKING-MACHINES AND THE Linn Application filed March 31, 1915. Serial No. 18,276. I

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, OSCAR J. CLAIR, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Camden, countyof Camden, and State of New Jersey, have ii'n'ented certain new and useful If iprovenients in Tone- Arms for h lachines and the like, of which ing had to the accompanying drawing.

In the construction oftalking machines, it is generally customary to provide the same with tone arms, frequently of the tapering type, to the outer or free end of which is suitably attached the sound box or other reproducing means, the inner end of the tone arm, which in the tapering variety of arm is also the large end, being adapted to communicate with'the horn or other amplifying means employed.

To permit of the free movement of the tone arm across the surface of the sound record, it is hot unusual to mount the elbow thereof at the end communicating with the horn, bracket or other sound amplifying means upon a vertical spindle extending from said fixed end longitudinally through the elbow and suitably mounted in a fixed relation with the casing or other stationary part of the talking machine.

'ilone arms are generally constructed with a substantially right angled bend or elbow adjacent that end thereof whichcommunicates with the horn or other sound amplifying means, and a hole is usually provided through the outer surface of the elbow for the reception. of such spindle. A suitable lug or similar projection is usually soldered or brazed on the exterior surface of the elbow at the point where the said hole is to be, in order to provide a thickness of metal at said point sufficient to form an adequate bearing for said spindle. As the spindle usually extends through this opening and throughout the length of the elbow from said opening to the end ofthe arm. commumcating with the sound reproducing means, unless most carefully constructed there is liable to be a slightplay or looseness between the spindle bearings therefor, with z the result that the tone arm 1s set intoa state of vibration during the reproduction of.

sound thereby causing an undesirable rattle or buzzing. In such constructions as have been above referred to 1t is also diflicult to i properly position the-lower end of thespin Specification of Letters Patent.

so inn; is a specification, reference be- Patented may fl, 1916,.

dle into the opening therefor in the upper end of the-bracket or support when once the spindle has been. withdrawn or removed for any purpose. i I

The priuci ll objects ofv my invention are to do away with the necessity for the employment of such a; spindle and to so modify the shape of the tone arm itself as to provide a suitable substantially flat bearing surface or shoulder integral with the arm itself to cooperate with one of a" pair of short pivotal studs which do not extend into or through the elbow."

Other objects of my invention are to provide a construction in which the two separated or spaced studs may be readily adjusted toward and away'from-each other to provide for a snug engagement between the tone arm and the studs upon which it is mounted to swing with a view of preventng any arrin or rattling of the parts durmg the reproc uction ofvsound.

Other objects of my invention are to provide a tone arm which shall be neat in zippearanceand inexpensive to construct, and which shall do away with the necessity of soldering or otherwise securing an unsightly external projection upon the outer curved therefrom through rough usage or careless handling.

- Still further obj-ects'of my invention are to provide an improvedmounting for the tone arm which shall permit of the free movement ofthe tone arm in a horizontal plane, while preventing any movement of the tone arm in a vertical direction; which may be readily assembledor disassembled, and in which the-tone {arm may be easily and quickly removed or replaced without the use of special tools. j

My invention further includes all of the other novel features of construction and arrangement hereinafter more definitely specifled. p

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a side elevation" of a tone arm constructed in accordanoe'with my invention and operatlve posltion upon its I hollow' support; mg bracket, thelatter being removed from a talkingmachine, and-Fig. .2 is a central 1 vertical section of atone arm-and bracket similar to that shown" in Fig. 1;'- Fig. is

an end elevation of the tone arm removed from the supportingbracket; Fig- 4: is a r similar view thereof partiallyin central vertical section, *the' se ction being taken. along the. axial line of that portion or the tone of a detail of arm 1, which maypreferably be of the taf poring-type, having at its smaller end a transverse cylindrical'tube 2 adapted for the reception of meanswhereby theton'e armisi connected to the sound box; (not shown) be "said toconsist of asubstantiallyflhorizom tal-portion'S, and a downwardlyturnedportion' 5. The downwardly turned portion 5" of the arm rna-y -.preffe'rably -be provided ad- Jacent' its lower end with a surrounding collar 7 brazed or otherwise suitably secured to its exterior, thecollar being I n'eferably proyided on'itsinteriorfwith an-inwardly pro]e'cting. annular shoulder 8, adapted for --the,reception of the end of the tone arm which abuts upon its shoulder, thus forming This surface may prefera bridge 10, preferably formed integral with the collar, extends across the. mouth of the 7 tone arm andis preferably somewhat 'en a neat-finish at'the end of the tone arm. A

larged at its. centento provide a suitable aperture for the reception of the. stud l3,

.having' a flange 14, and fixedly securedin a similar aperture' formed in the' bridge or;. spider 15 extending diametrically across the annulus'16. The'annulus, '16 maypreferably arm is formed While the'latter, is rigidly -1'be frictionally r tained in the cylindrical, Qnpwardly projecting mouth ofithehollo'w' bracket 18 said-bracket being adapted to" communicate at itslow'er' end with the horn or-other l sound amplifying means and to be ysecu'redlto the same; or to the cabinet of the king-machine. 4 v v 5 may preferably be of an interior diameter,

slightly greater thanthe exterior Idiameter of thecollar 7, so that the latter may rotate freely therein and without actually, "contact ing therewith, and the eXterior'of theupper end of the bracket 18 may preferably be finished in cylindrical form and adapted for-- the reception ofthe'cylindrical laterally pros.-

Jeoting collar 21', integrallyforn'ie'diupon the lower endof the stud-support22, which may preferably befljof' substantially the shape shown in-the drawing, the upper. end thereof being 'providedwith a boss 24 overhanging the portion"'5 of the tone-arm when the'same isvin operative position; ,The interior of the stantially insane collar 21- is of a size to form a snug 'fit upon the hollow-bracket-l8, towhich itmay be rigidly secured bymea'nsfofoone'or more set screws 26 assin-g through suitable apertures in thecol ar', and threaded into the bracket,

-a shoulder; 27. upon the exterior of the bracket se'rving to limit the downward move-.

ment of'the collar; -A suitable vertical; proferably cylindrical aperture 32'may. be formed within the boss 24; for the reception of the upper stud 33', af-setscrew 34 serving to; sea cure the same in any desired position within erably so. proportioned fund arranged that thelon'giti dinal axes of thespaced studs 33 downwardly dependingstops'm may be pro-' vided uponith'e collar the sides of the bridge."

vFor the purpose of pr'oyiding aflatbean ing uponthe tone arm for the lower end of g the upper stud 33, a part, "of the top .wall

and 13 will coi ncide." lfide'sired; apair of I one upon each side "of-the bridge 15, to limit the lateral move- V mentof th 'tone arm; by' engagement, with of the elbow of said tone arm is depressed 1 tion ,5" of the tone arm' is formed thereon. ly be substantially circular'in shape, 1 its cen erbeing approxifmatelyf-in' aline'inent with the axis of.,the= lower stud While the formation of this 'subst'antia lly 'fiat surface ,u'pon the tonear'ni may be accompli hedin any, desired man- I-ner, I prefer to form the sameqy' the' action of Simultaneously -,upward1 y, and "down iwa'rdly movingfplungers operatingupon the metal Qor other material of which the tone secured in {a suitable die "or. holden' f'the up wardlyl moving plunger operating upon the exterior surface of the tone'arm, the reforcethe metal or other material of which :the tone arm is-formed outwardlyjfrom the surface thereof .upon one side of the center ofi said plungers to form a bulge 42, and to depress the metal'up'on theothc'r side of the center of plimgers to, form an indenta.-' .;t i 'on" 42 whereby a portionof the wall of the tone arm between said plungers is forced 1 into a plane surface'toform the fiat, sub-- horizontalsurface 10 already described. I

i Substantially at the center of the surface 40 an apertureeo maybe formed in'thc wall "of the tone arm'suitable for the reception of the bushing 48, which may preferably coma and .a part "is'st'ruck-up or eley.ated in-s'uch I .manner that a flat surface ip extending approximately normal to the ax'is .of the'porloo- . s'ultant-actionfof these plungers' beingto The. cyli drical mouth of the bracket 18 sist of a'cylindrical body 49 having at its at flange 50, thebushing being provided with a longitudinally extending, cylindrical ap erture 51 suitablev for therece'ption' of the reduced" portion 36 of the upper stud 33. The body of the bushing may be secured within the aperture 46 in any suitable or desired manner, although for this purpose I prefer to upset the lower end thereof in-a suitable press, after the bushing has been inserted in the aperture 46 with the underside of the flange contacting with the horizontal surface 40, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, whereby the bushing is so rigidly secured to the tone arm that it becomes, for all practical purposes-as much a part of the arm itself as'if actually' formed out of the same material and integral therewith.

It will thus be evident that when the tone arm 1 is positioned upon the lower studl3, with the bridge 10 resting upon the flange 14, and the .upper. stud 33 slid downwardly in the boss 2& until. the face of the shoulder 37 comes into smooth even contact with the upper surface of the bushing l8, the stud 33 being secured in that position by means ofthe set screw 34:, that the tone arm will be pivoted upon two separated or spaced studs,

in such a manner as to be free to revolve around the same in a horizontal plane, but

will be precluded from verticalmovement.

It will moreover be evident that the tone arm can be readily removed from its operative position by loosening the set screw 34 and raising the stud 33 out of engagementwith the bushing 48, and that the latter will at all times be securely attached to, and for all practical purposes be substantially; a part of. the tone arm.

While I have herein described [one embodiment of my invention with considerable particularity for the purpose. of enabling those skilled inthe art to comprehend the same,I do not desire to limit myself to the exact details of construction and arrangement which I have illustrated and described, as it will be evidentthat various changes and modifications may be made in I of the devlce, such for instance the details as in. the shape of'the bushmg 5 0 which could be readily varied, or iii-fact which might be omitted entirely and the aperture 46 alone employed. for the reception of the point or end ofthe stud- 33, without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, 1'

claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States: 1. As an article of manufacture, a tapering tone arm of thin ductile metal consist- .ing of two portions extending substantially said tone arm of the: larger diameter and said flat portion being provided with an opening in alinement with said axis.

ing tone arm of thin ductile metal consisting of two portions extending substantially at right angles to each other. and united by an elbow or bend integral therewith, a portion of the material of said elbowibeing indented into said elbow and a portion'of the material of said elbow being pressed outwardly from said elbow to form therein a substantially fiat circular portion integral with said elbow, the plane of said flat surface being normal to and in substantial alinement with the axis of that portion of said tone arm of the larger diameter and said flat portion being provided with an opening in alinement with said axis, and a bushing tightly fitted into.sa id opening and having a flat exterior surface parallel to the surface of said flat portion.

In witness whereof I have 2. As an article of manufacture, a taper-' hereunto set I 95, my hand this 29th day of March, A. D. 1915. 

